Pre-RFP Preparation

How to Win Challenge-Based Procurements Now

By Brenda Crist, February 25, 2026

Challenge-based procurements are exposing a hard truth in GovCon: strong proposals are no longer enough. Agencies are no longer satisfied with polished narratives, well-crafted past performance sections, or carefully worded technical approaches. Additionally, they want contractors to demonstrate their capabilities—not just describe them. Through self-scoring matrices, multi-phase down-selects, live technical exercises, and demonstrations, federal buyers are increasingly using challenge-based procurements.